An Irish Christmas with Cathie Ryan and The Winter’s Heart at the ICHC Dec. 10

Acclaimed Irish singer Cathie Ryan and her award-winning band will celebrate a traditional Irish American Christmas at the Irish Cultural and Heritage Center, 2133 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 7:30 p.m.

From ethereal hymns to exuberant jigs and reels, The Winter’s Heart revels in the wealth of the holiday traditions such as leaving a candle in the window to light loved ones home, hunting for the wren on St. Stephen’s Day, Nollaig na mBan or the Woman’s Christmas, and much more.

The ritual of the Winter Solstice, for centuries considered a sacred time in Ireland, will also be honored.

A captivating performer, Ryan has been in the vanguard of Irish music for more than 25 years and was twice named Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade by LiveIreland as well as honored as one of the Top 100 Irish Americans by Irish Music Magazine. Her shows are renowned for their intimacy and power as well as her witty banter.

Joining Ryan will be Cork-born, award-winning songwriter Patsy O’Brien. He is one of Irish music’s most respected guitarists, known for both a driving rhythm as well as a delicate and melodic finger picking style. O’Brien has worked with fiddle player Eileen Ivers and piping legend Paddy Keenan, among others.

Patrick Mangan is currently on break as the featured fiddle soloist from Riverdance, where he was initially invited to perform when he was just 16-years-old. His respect for traditional music – along with the gift of playing with fluidity and fire – twice earned him the coveted All-Ireland fiddle championship.

Kieran O’Hare is an internationally respected and sought-after musician on uilleann pipes, concert flute and tin whistle. He had a role in the film Road to Perdition and was the piper in the Broadway show The Pirate Queen. O’Hare has performed with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and with artists in many musical genres including Mick Moloney, Liz Carroll, Josh Groban and Don Henley.

“Cathie Ryan has the soul of a true folksinger and a crystalline voice that turns even simple songs into gems…One hears in Ryan the sounds of old and new worlds.” — Hartford Courant

Tickets for the show are $29 in advance, $33 on concert day and $10 for students with an ID. To order online, visit www.ichc.net. Tickets may also be ordered by calling (414) 345-8800.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.